1960 Swindon

[Samdy Gray]

Found this photo of A Shop OK it's in the 80's, but seems a lot longer ago.  I'd forgotten just how big it was, apparently at one time the biggest single workshop space in the world.

 The small holding in the pic, was still going up til a few years ago, and the last time I was down there, nothing had been built on it.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/swindonlocal/8626413583/

That is still there at the bottom of Redcliffe Street.

[Mother Brown]

I've a bit of a collection of old maps, and one of my favourites is a 1925 Swindon 6 inch to the mile sheet. Remarkably, and its something I've never really seen anything about, there were railway sidings right up to the back of Stratton Bank!

Funnily enough was driving down Ocotal way and noticed the new estate is  called the "Sidings".
Cant remember a railway line being there,thought it was the site of the canal.

[Reg Smeeton]

Funnily enough was driving down Ocotal way and noticed the new estate is  called the "Sidings".
Cant remember a railway line being there,thought it was the site of the canal.

There were sidings all down the back end of Colbourne St. Many led into the Wills Factory. I've no idea what the ones running right up to the back of the Bank were for. The line of the Canal, is essentially still there, up to the Stratton St Margaret boundary, but beyond that had already seemingly largely vanished in 1925.

For years, there used to be a small factory called Martyn Lynshaw, at the Boundary Works, just inside Swindon. SSM was considered important enough to have its own proper naming sign on the road at that point.

Martyn Lynshaw...used to advertise on the back of the program, that they made stadium seats...that in the days when most grounds were terraced.

[ronnie21]

You can still see bits of it going down through the Collingbournes, the lines are (or were last year) still in situ at Ludgershall whee the army has a train depot.  Of course going north the line is being preserved at Blunsdon Station, I think it now runs almost up to Mouldon Park and they do hope to get it as far as Cricklade in the other direction.

Went down to Andover the other day via Marlborough and the old line is still, complete with sidings and flat bed railway wagons, active at Ludgershall.  The road to Andover past Ludgershall runs parallel to the line for some distance.

[ronnie21]

There were sidings all down the back end of Colbourne St. Many led into the Wills Factory. I've no idea what the ones running right up to the back of the Bank were for. The line of the Canal, is essentially still there, up to the Stratton St Margaret boundary, but beyond that had already seemingly largely vanished in 1925.

For years, there used to be a small factory called Martyn Lynshaw, at the Boundary Works, just inside Swindon. SSM was considered important enough to have its own proper naming sign on the road at that point.

Martyn Lynshaw...used to advertise on the back of the program, that they made stadium seats...that in the days when most grounds were terraced.

Remember going to functions in the old Wills club in the 70's, parking on site and walking scross the lines to gain access.  Wouldn't be allowed now, the old h&s would have something to say about that!!

[Dostoyevsky]

Went down to Andover the other day via Marlborough and the old line is still, complete with sidings and flat bed railway wagons, active at Ludgershall.  The road to Andover past Ludgershall runs parallel to the line for some distance.

That is unusual, my dad went to Andover via an overnight stop in Marlborough the other day, maybe same business.

[Mother Brown]

There were sidings all down the back end of Colbourne St. Many led into the Wills Factory. I've no idea what the ones running right up to the back of the Bank were for. The line of the Canal, is essentially still there, up to the Stratton St Margaret boundary, but beyond that had already seemingly largely vanished in 1925.

For years, there used to be a small factory called Martyn Lynshaw, at the Boundary Works, just inside Swindon. SSM was considered important enough to have its own proper naming sign on the road at that point.

Martyn Lynshaw...used to advertise on the back of the program, that they made stadium seats...that in the days when most grounds were terraced.

You mention "Boundary works" and that rings a bell.Was it  between Marshgate and the Brown + Knight canning factory?

[Reg Smeeton]

You mention "Boundary works" and that rings a bell.Was it  between Marshgate and the Brown + Knight canning factory?

Right by where the path ran up to the footbridge across railway...the entrance the A Ground, was there as well. Marshgate where you had Coopers, was over the other side of the road.

[Mother Brown]

Right by where the path ran up to the footbridge across railway...the entrance the A Ground, was there as well. Marshgate where you had Coopers, was over the other side of the road.

Know where you mean now,think Mike Knight tyres used the building in later years.
Clarke bros (builders) was next door then Bamptons?

[fatbasher]

Know where you mean now,think Mike Knight tyres used the building in later years.
Clarke bros (builders) was next door then Bamptons?

Talking of Coopers, any old Walcott boys & girls remember the four squares?

[Wilf Shergold]

I once saw a pic of a stone train, on The Loop in about 1970

The M4 south of the town ran into difficulties over soft ground, hence the reason the old line was press ganged into delivering stone. They had to reinstate the run around loop at the Town station. That station was my playground in the late '50s, and to this day I can recall the wonderful aroma of beer and baccy coming from the station bar which kept open after the station closed - the locals called it the Ghost Train, and it was out of bounds to us young whippersnappers.

It was strange seeing that film, featuring as it did not only the road I was born in but the road I lived in all my early life. Road, as in a house in those roads before the sarky comments.

Newport Street was not a quiet backwater in my memory. It was still the main road to the south / A4, particularly busy on market day. The pub at the bottom was the Shoulder of Mutton, very lively on market days. I watched the old school etc being pulled down. Exciting as a kid, not knowing the damage it was doing to the old town though.

Not sure it's been mentioned however a wonderful website about the 'other' railway is www.swindonsotherrailway.co.uk. Oh  and the cameraman I seem to recall from somewhere - Eric Arman. Maybe I knew his son?

[Reg Smeeton]

The M4 south of the town ran into difficulties over soft ground, hence the reason the old line was press ganged into delivering stone. They had to reinstate the run around loop at the Town station. That station was my playground in the late '50s, and to this day I can recall the wonderful aroma of beer and baccy coming from the station bar which kept open after the station closed - the locals called it the Ghost Train, and it was out of bounds to us young whippersnappers.

It was strange seeing that film, featuring as it did not only the road I was born in but the road I lived in all my early life. Road, as in a house in those roads before the sarky comments.

Newport Street was not a quiet backwater in my memory. It was still the main road to the south / A4, particularly busy on market day. The pub at the bottom was the Shoulder of Mutton, very lively on market days. I watched the old school etc being pulled down. Exciting as a kid, not knowing the damage it was doing to the old town though.

Not sure it's been mentioned however a wonderful website about the 'other' railway is www.swindonsotherrailway.co.uk. Oh  and the cameraman I seem to recall from somewhere - Eric Arman. Maybe I knew his son?

  so presumably...the same soft ground, that a load of houses are being built on now.

I recall it being the Bell and Shoulder of Mutton...what an ace name for a pub. With the Bell must have confused a few. Very sad day when it went...if it couldn't have staayed a pub at least te building should have been kept, like the Frome Hotel.

[Reg Smeeton]

Know where you mean now,think Mike Knight tyres used the building in later years.
Clarke bros (builders) was next door then Bamptons?

That's it...and also Isis, were in the next door building....our first shirt sponsors.

[NZrobin]

My father's family lived down the bottom of Hayden Wick opposite a working men's club if I remember..Although moving to Hagbourne Berkshire in 1910 our family name was Wheeler..we had family (I was told large) of the surname of Nipress. Never ever knew any of them...does anyone know any people of that name. 
Also remember having an uncle called Tom Turtle in Rodborne...fuck he would be 136 now...soapy tit wank.


   

[Arriba]

My great aunt was a nipress. My nans sister who was married to Cyril nipress. They lived in Northampton street and died in the early to mid 90s